bob dole has been a special council at a top law firm but also took a leap into tv commercials touting the drug viagra. >> like erectile dysfunction, e.d. -- >> reporter: moving from the political life back to civilian life can be tricky. take mitt romney. he had around the clock secret service protection, a legion of followers, crowds of thousands chanting his name. and then nothing. former congressman mark kennedy, who now heads up george washington university's graduate school of political management offers this sage advice. >> i think what makes the difference is having a focus. you mentioned al gore, he focused on environmental issues. you look at john kerry who's focused on foreign policy issues. if you pick some piece of your message that did resonate with the american people and after a pause come back and start emphasizing that in important ways, that i think is the path to really helping to make a difference after your run. >> reporter: another good step? mending fences with your opponent. romney seemed to do that with this white house lunch with president obama. don't cry to